The Labor enquirer., 1887-12-24
THE LEAGUE.
us Last Meeting In Coed Templars'
Hall Much Interest and .
Good Attendance.

n As usual large audience at
HNended the session of the Social
.eacue held on Sunday evening
last. After a we'll rendered selec-
tion by the choir Comrade Leahy
entered into an explanation of the
objects of the League. The OBJ
iect the League had in view was
,be inculcation of the true princi-
pies which will lead to a better
and happier state of existence for
mankind than it now enjoys. The
Mcomrade dwelt at length on the
presidents message and the free
trade question and maintained
that free trade was, from Social
i,tic standpoint, the correct idea.
Perfect freedom to import or ex-
port helps the poor man. as pro
lection" did not protect anybody
hut the manufacturer who pays
wages which are regulated in
amount by the supply of labor in
the market.
The selfish individualism of the
protective tariff" was the spirit
which curses and burdens the
race to-day. 1t magnihcs national
lines and boundaries and keeps
alive race and national prejudices.'
This is wrong in theory as we'll as
practically. This League would
try and teach the solidarity of the
race and the necessity of dis
couraging the indisidualistic the
'ory.
Comparisons were made be-
tween the idlers and drones OF
Capitol Hill and their condition
and that of the workers who live
in the Bottoms" in the huts and
cabins of that miserable quarter.
The workers live in the huts and
novels while the leeches and
sharks and swindling schemers
live in the grand palaces.
Comrade Kiefer discussed the
propositions set forth in the first
chapter of Gronland's Cooper
ativc Commonwealth" Vainf was
treated in an interesting and in
structive manner. All values we're
the result Of human labor applied
to natural resources. Modern
commercial and legalized thievery
had given to money and other
things a fictitious value. The real
value of an article should and
could only be determined by the
amount of human labor necessary
for its production. The comrade
demonstrated the fact that legal
led robbery is committed by the
employer who-according to gov
crmental statistics-gives the
producer but trifle over one
third of the value of his produc-
tionS.
Comradc Mccarthy discussed
in an interesting manner the rela-
tions generally existing between
the master and the servants, the
employer and the cmploye. 1t
was shown by the comradc that,
on the same principle as the pris-
oner in the penal institution is lost
to the world or his fellow-prison-
crs by being known as No. -, so
is lost the individuality of the man
who is compelled to be a wage
slave whose every thought and
wish is subservient to the will of a
master. The majority of the
race to-day are bred with the
spirit of slavery in their very
bones; with not enough backbone
and force of character to form an
idea on any subject of interest to
themselves. Democrat and re-
publican boodlcrs and bulldozing
corruptionists at every election
time tell the wage slaves a lot of
rot aud smooth lies, and ethe
cattle fool workingmen-believe
them and go like a herd of sheep
md vote for the grand old
party"
Miss Mccarthy paid some at
tcntlon to the free trade question